Let’s get the obvious question out of the way before you start reading this preview: can a black-and-white shooter game created in the 1930s rubber-hose animation actually be good, or is it just another gimmick? I had the exact same doubt when I saw MOUSE: P.I. For Hire for the first time in a reveal trailer back in 2023. My reaction was somewhere between “that looks sick” and “there’s no way this holds up past this trailer.”
Well, turns out I was wrong. And I’m so delighted that I’m so embarrassingly wrong, because this toon shooter checked all the right boxes for a neo-noir drama I actually crave for. After spending roughly an hour within a hands-on early preview build of the game ahead of its April 16, 2026, release, among other new games on the calendar, I walked away genuinely impressed and thrilled to have experienced a different kind of shooter game.
Soon, I realised that this isn’t a novelty act purely relying on its art style. There’s a proper fast-paced shooter underneath all that 1930s vintage cartoon charm, and it’s got quite the teeth. Here are my full impressions on MOUSE: P.I. For Hire early preview gameplay and how it holds up to its hype ahead of its release.
Jack Pepper Is Running Crime Out of Town One Bullet at a Time
The preview build dropped me into the trench coat of Jack Pepper, a private investigator who looks like what would happen if Mickey Mouse quit his little goofy racket, shut down the clubhouse for good, picked up a cigar habit, and started solving crimes. His persona is absolutely magnetic; even though it’s a first-person camera, you can tell by his voice and dialogue that he means business (trust Troy Baker, and you won’t be disappointed).
The game nails that vintage animation look while going all-in on the noir detective bit. I mean, not for a second, I had thoughts like “what if this could’ve been in color?” At a point, you won’t even bother about the game’s monochromatic tone while you’re gunning down goons and solving crimes. Trust me, if you’ve ever wanted to play as Mickey Mouse from the 1930s with a chip on his shoulder and a pistol on his hip, this is the perfect game for you.
Right from the get-go, MOUSE offers a choice between vintage visuals featuring motion blur, a grainy 8 mm film effect, the complete nostalgic package, or a cleaner, modern look that trades charm for improved framerates. I went cleaner for this preview and even stripped of those filters since its animation style absolutely carries the game’s visual identity. Every character, environment, and each and every little detail oozes a 1930s cartoon vibe.
The mission itself had me investigating Bandel’s Secret Laboratory, hunting clues of what’s going on over there, and gathering some intel. Even though it looks quite simple enough on paper, the facility is crawling with guards who’d very much prefer you stop snooping around. After clearing the lab, the demo wraps with a neat detective touch as you return to Jack’s office, pin clues onto a corkboard, and piece together your next lead alongside your partner, Cornelius Stilton. It’s a small narrative beat, but it does the heavy lifting to sell the investigative fantasy layered underneath all the mindless shooting.
The preview build itself featured around 30-40 minutes of core content, though I stretched it closer to an hour, poking around corners and hunting for secrets, and if I’m being honest, blowing sh*t up with D-Namite purely for the joy of it.
My Arsenal Was Loaded, But Enemies Refused to Behave
Combat is where MOUSE truly shines. The preview build handed me four weapons, each with genuine personality. The Miser is your trusty pistol with a burst-fire alt mode, which is not as flashy as you’d expect (sorry, no John Wick gimmicks here), but still gets the job done. The Boomstick is a close-range pump shotgun that also lets you charge shots for extra damage up close. The James Gun (not the DC guy) is basically a Tommy gun that is ripped straight from a gangster flick like The Godfather, and it’s an absolute riot to use.
But my personal favorite, and please don’t call me a sadist for this one, was the Devarnisher. This unhinged weapon fires turpentine balls that literally melt enemies in a Who Framed Roger Rabbit-style dissolve. Watching the bones of cartoon goons melt into liquid under bouncing turpentine blobs was equal parts hilarious and deeply satisfying. Absolute Cinema.
The combat loop requires you to be constantly on the move. Enemies are surprisingly sharpshooters, and standing still is a one-way ticket to the game-over screen. Finally, some enemy AI that knows how to shoot. Talking about movement in the game, it felt tight and responsive. A dash ability lets you reposition quickly, leap across gaps, and slide behind shielded enemies to break their defenses.
Melee is also surprisingly fun as Jack’s exaggerated cartoon punches and kicks feel completely in line with the art style, and throwing hands when your guns run dry is honestly 10 times funnier than shooting is.
But when you’re low on health, you can pop a Cheese mid-fight as it is a portable heal consumable (yes, cheese – because of course), while Heal-D bottles are scattered around you, handle quick health recovery after drinking them.
The preview featured three boss fights, each testing different combat styles and player instincts. One had me ducking behind glass panes to dodge sweeping laser beams. Another chased me down with blade hands while firing projectiles, turning the area into a frantic dash and shoot gauntlet. A third boss called Robo Betty combined both mechanics and refused to let me breathe. She also deployed these walking bombs, which were some of the most annoying things to shrug off your back. Trust me, one of the most tryhard bosses I faced in a first-person shooter.
Between combat, a lockpicking minigame called Tailpicking offered a clever puzzle break that rewarded bonus ammo and secrets. The build also closed with a top-down driving sequence back to Jack’s office, where you rendezvous with a gunsmith called Tammy, and you get introduced to the weapon upgrade system called B.A.N.G.
In the upgrade stations, you can improve your gun’s recoil, firepower, and reload speed across three tiers per weapon. The system is solid and shows incredible potential for a real build variety in the full release.
Performance-wise, the game ran beautifully on my PC at a locked 120 FPS with zero hiccups throughout. No stutters, no drops, just smooth cartoon violence from start to finish. Quite impressive for a pre-release build that’s already handling tons of visual load due to its unique animation style. If the full game keeps building on this foundation and this is what we get on its upcoming release date, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire could be something genuinely special.
Jack Pepper might just be the coolest noir detective the 1930s never actually gave us, and honestly, they didn’t deserve him anyway. MOUSE: P.I. For Hire releases on April 16, 2026, on PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S.
